Never Say Never
by ISGG2
Summary: Liam Court: Beverly Hill's High resident playboy. He promises to never fall in love. Annie Wilson: Beverly Hill's High resident new girl. She promises to never date a playboy. But what is it that they say...oh right, never say never.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **So this is an annie/liam fanfic. it's AU so dont get confused if some stuff doesnt make sense. also it's 1 in the morning right now so i apologize for any grammar mistakes. Hope you enjoy! leave a review if you want! :)

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Liam Court stared at the new girl from his locker. She had a petite body frame, was wearing a tight long sleeved white shirt with skinny jeans that fit her just right, and sported a short, layered, auburn hairstyle. Her locker was just a couple down from his and he couldn't help but want to saunter over there and 'welcome' her to the school.

"Hey, Liam, you ready for lunch?" his friend, Teddy, asked as he walked up to Liam followed by the usual posse of Dixon and Navid.

"Who's the new girl?" Liam immediately asked without hesitation. He hadn't taken his eyes off her since he first saw her,

Teddy, Dixon, and Navid automatically looked to where Liam was staring. The girl was completely oblivious to her surroundings as she kept fidgeting with her locker combination. It seemed as though it hadn't been working for her at all since most of her books were piled on the floor next to her along with her book bag. Not a Louis Vuitton bag or a coach purse used as a backpack. It was just a regular JanSport navy blue backpack.

"You guys already ogling at the new girl?" Ivy Sullivan said as she walked up to her group of friends. Being the only girl in the group she always found it weird how they would ogle at every female that passed their way.

"You know who she is?" Liam asked hoping to get an answer from her considering his male friends were of no help.

"Her name's Annie Wilson." Ivy responded, "She just moved here from San Francisco. Her mom apparently just remarried or something."

Liam looked at Ivy and smiled. He had his answer. Her name was Annie Wilson. He knew that he could now make his approach, but he decided that he would wait. He was hungry and he needed food in his system.

"Alright, let's go eat." Liam said and all the boys followed him as if he was the ringleader. Ivy rolled her eyes and trailed behind looking back at the new girl.

Ivy knew that Annie was just a conquest for Liam and after he was through with her he would move on to the next girl that crawled under him. And as horrible as it all sounded the worst part was that Ivy couldn't help but be jealous of Annie…or any girl that Liam went after. Ivy had moved to Beverly Hills a little over two years ago to start freshmen year at Beverly Hills High. She was the tomboy that no girl wanted to befriend and frankly she didn't want to be friends with the girls either so she became best buds with Liam, Dixon, Teddy, and Navid. The worst part of it was that she knew Liam was the biggest playboy the school had to offer even when they were lowly freshmen, but Ivy couldn't help but fall for the dark haired blue eyed surfer boy.

"Hey, Ivy, hurry up!" Dixon yelled as Ivy snapped out of her daze. She ran up to her boys and waited in line with them as they each got their food. Ivy stared at Liam as he got his food and promised herself that she would be Liam's girlfriend one way or another. It would happen by the end of the year.

The five friends found a table outside and sat down in the heat of the day. Thank God there was an umbrella on the table providing shade for them.

"So when are you going to go in for the catch?" Dixon asked Liam as they ate their overly-salted completely unhealthy cafeteria food.

"What catch?" Liam answered not really paying attention to his friends or his food. All he could think about was the way the new girl, or Annie, kept fumbling with her locker combination. Maybe he should've helped her out. It would have provided a reason for him to go up to her, not that Liam ever needed a reason to go up to girls.

"Annie. When are you going to 'ask her out'?" Dixon replied adding air quotes around 'ask her out'.

Liam looked at Dixon with an amused expression before saying, "Why did you put air quotes around 'ask her out'."

"Oh, please, we all know your definition of asking a girl out: a crappy dinner with a naked Liam for dessert." Ivy responded.

"First of all, my dinners aren't crappy. And second of all, a naked Liam for dessert is what every girl is asking for. I bet you even you're wondering what that would be like."

As the three men at the table stifled a laugh Ivy tried to keep her cool and keep herself from turning a dark shade of crimson while looking for a witty response to answer a laughing Liam.

"Please, I bet you a naked Liam would just be an embarrassment for you considering how small your dick is." Ivy responded and Liam stopped laughing.

"Oh so that's how it's going to be?" asked Liam jokingly not at all offended by Ivy's retort. It was weak and he knew that arguing with her was less fun than fooling around with her.

"Yupp, it is." Ivy replied angrily. She was angry that Liam had caught on to her without really catching on. She wanted him to like her so badly and for that she hated herself, but she was desperate.

"Liam, it's Annie." Navid interrupted and Liam immediately turned to look at his latest target. She was carrying her navy blue backpack over one shoulder with her tray of food in one hand. In the other hand, Annie was carrying half her books and Liam guessed that she hadn't been able to open her locker.

"Alright, I'm going in." Liam said happy with the food in his system and ready to 'welcome' Annie into the school.

"Good luck." Ivy said sarcastically as Liam got up and walked to where Annie was sitting.

Annie noticed a dark haired, blue eyed male walking in her direction. He was wearing a plain white t-shirt with jeans and sneakers. It was a very laid back look and it told her that he seemed like the laid back type of guy.

"Hey, I'm Liam." The male stated and took a seat across from Annie. She looked up at him and couldn't help but notice his mesmerizing blue eyes.

"I'm Annie." She stated and then looked around as if expecting someone else to go sit with her. Either this guy was truly nice or he wanted something from her. Judging by his cocky grin and laid back demeanor she realized he wanted something from her. Apparently people at Beverly Hills weren't that nice.

"I know." Liam stated with his best charming look and then looked at Annie's face for some kind of expression. She didn't seem flirty or interested which surprised him; she seemed confused and annoyed.

"Okay, so then what do you want?" Annie asked getting irritated with the boy in front of her. She had had a crappy day and didn't want him to make it worse, which she was sure he would.

"And what makes you think I want something?" Liam asked seemingly offended by her bitter words.

"Well judging by the fact that no one here in Beverly Hills seems nice enough to even muster a hello then I'm assuming you're here because you want something from me, not because you're the welcoming committee and you're going to show me how to open my locker." Annie retorted.

"Well my, my, aren't you perceptive." Liam said

"Thank you, I like to think so too. Now back to what we were discussing. What do you want?"

"You. me. Dinner. Friday night." Liam said nonchalantly and Annie couldn't help but laugh. It was official; this was the worst day of her life.

"What makes you think I'd want to go out with you?" Annie answered and Liam almost fell off his seat. Was she saying no?

"What?" he asked confused.

Annie smiled and answered, "I'm sorry, but I don't know you and well our first conversation hasn't really been pleasant so no, I wont go out with you Friday."

"You wont?"

"Nope."

"But-but why?"

"I already answered that. Plus, you don't seem like the serious relationship type of guy. so I don't appreciate being your latest conquest."

"Conquest?" Liam asked surprised by easily she was reading him.

"You know, latest acquisition, conquer, big sweep, or even more accurately, your latest one-night stand." Annie smiled mockingly at Liam and he couldn't help, but desperately want her to keep talking.

"So you're saying no?"

"Glad you understand." Annie responded.

"You sure?" Liam asked one last time.

Annie looked directly into Liam's eyes and nodded her head slowly then said, "You may leave now." she waved him off and without a second glance turned her gaze to her food.

Liam didn't want to leave, but eventually and reluctantly he stood up and walked away. He walked back to his table stunned and completely in awe of the girl he had just talked to. It was his first no. Ever. Liam Court had never been turned down before. Every girl he had ever asked out had always said yes. But then again 99% of the girls he had asked out used coach purses as backpacks. He didn't know what it was about this girl, but she saw right through him. His cocky demeanor and arrogant behavior had jut gone to waste. Annie didn't want to date him and he didn't know why, but he knew one thing for sure. Liam wasn't giving up that easily. Annie was different and for some reason Liam was immediately hooked. Maybe it was the fact that this was the first time he'd have to try and get a girl to like him or maybe the fact that she didn't fall for his charm turned him on, but either way he was sure that Annie Wilson would fall for him sooner rather than later.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2! enjoy! :) (BY THE WAY I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY OR THE SHOW!) **

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"So she said no?" Teddy asked Liam as they got ready to go surfing. Ever since Liam sat back down with his group of friends he couldn't seem to get Annie out of his head. They way she was crude and honest and didn't really fall for him at first glance. She wasn't into him and he wanted to know why.

"Yupp, and it didn't even seem like she said no because she was shy or wanted to play hard to get or something. She seemed genuinely uninterested." Liam answered while waxing his board. He could still hear Annie's casual tone as she turned him down.

"Wow, you're first no. How does it feel?" Ivy asked feigning nonchalance while being completely ecstatic at the fact that Liam was available Friday night.

"Truthfully…it felt weird. I've never gotten a 'no' before." Liam answered her. He didn't notice the smile on her face or the way her mood seemed a bit chipper than most days.

"So who's the next girl on the list?" Dixon asked casually as if it was typical behavior to have a list of girls to screw on the weekends. (Truthfully, it was very typical of Liam).

"Annie." Liam stated matter of factly. He wasn't giving up so easily.

"Didn't she just turn you down man?" Navid asked staring at Liam in awe.

"I'm not giving up." Liam stated and they all looked at him with confusion and surprise. Since when did Liam care if a girl turned him down?

"Not giving up? Since when? It'd be easier if you just let her go." Ivy told Liam hoping beyond hope that he'd take her advice.

"The thing is I can't. I've never gotten a no before. I need her to say yes."

"Oh, so this is just to prove that you're still charming and that there isn't one girl that wont fall in love with you."

"Yeah. That's about it." Liam said shrugging. He couldn't care less about the girl. Yes, she was intriguing, but only because she had said no.

"Please, the girl actually seems like she has a brain at work in between those ears. And as long as it keeps working I'm positive she'll keep saying no." Ivy told Liam and he looked at her with annoyance in his eyes.

"Well I bet she'll end up falling hard for me by the end of the first date. And she'll enjoy the dessert." Liam answered with a wink and a smile that gave Ivy goose bumps.

"You wanna put some actual money on the table for that?" Ivy challenged.

Liam looked at her and felt his self-assurance kick in, "Fine, I bet you twenty bucks that by the end of the semester I will not only have slept with Annie, but she'll also be head over heels for me."

"Fine, it's a deal." Ivy answered and they shook hands with Dixon, Teddy, and Navid as their witnesses.

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Annie Wilson hated Beverly Hills. On her first day of school she had already learned the most important rule of high school: being nice was over-rated. People walked by her as if she was invisible. The fact that she had started school two weeks after it commenced didn't help either. She was lost in every class and had a lot of catching up to do. Apparently, Beverly Hills waited for no one. She had trouble opening her stupid locker and not one person stopped by to see if she needed help. She had to walk from class to class carrying all her books with her and not even the teachers had the decency to ask why. Then, to top it all off, she had to deal with some narcissistic idiot who thought it'd be nice if he screwed the new girl on Friday night. It was official. Her life sucked and it was bound to get worse.

When she walked through the front door of her new Beverly Hills home she heard laughter coming from the living room. She walked the whole mile and a half that it took for her to walk from the foyer to where her mom and new stepdad, Harry, were sitting watching some comedy on television. The house she now lived in was massively large. It was one of those ten bedrooms, eight bathroom mansions that needed a map just to navigate from the first floor to the second. This was another thing Annie hated about Beverly Hills. She figured out from the moment she first drove into town that most of the people were filthy rich including her new stepdad, who coincidentally also happened to be the principal of her school. The school which held rich snobs and people who weren't kind enough to talk to new kids.

Annie stepped into the living room hesitantly as she saw her mom and Harry cuddling on the couch. She still felt like a stranger in this house and in this city but as much as she hated Beverly Hills and her new school, she couldn't bring herself to hate her new stepdad.

After Annie's father died in a car accident a few years ago, Debbie had thrown herself into a spiral of depression. She felt hopeless all the time and wouldn't stop crying. She was given medication, but would refuse to take it and therefore Annie was the one who had to swallow her sorrows, help her mom, and raise herself. She was fourteen at the time and sometimes couldn't handle the pressure of having to be the only adult in the family. After about six months of depression, Debbie figured it'd make her happy if she were drinking away her sadness. She became addicted to drinking every night and Annie eventually grew tired of it and gave up. After several months of drinking too much and landing her daughter in the emergency room, Debbie promised herself that she'd stop. She cleaned herself up and hasn't had more than one glass of champagne ever since. That took place in a year and a half.

The next year and a half was more cheery. Debbie met Harry at the supermarket in San Francisco while he was there to spend the weekend on a Principal's of California Conference. It was a strange encounter according to Debbie and their first conversation was actually about water, a completely boring topic according to Annie. Debbie, though, said it struck up a very interesting conversation which eventually led to different subjects and eventually their first date. Annie realized that for the first time in a long time her mom was truly happy so she supported her and eventually grew to like Harry. After a year and a couple months together, in a long distance relationship to Debbie's dismay, they got married. Debbie agreed to move in with Harry and the three of them have been living in his mansion as a happy family.

"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Annie asked the newlyweds. They looked up at her just realizing that she had come home from school.

"Hey, honey, how was school?" Debbie asked in the motherly concerned voice she had regained after giving up alcohol.

"Horrible." Annie responded truthfully and slumped down on the couch next to her mom.

"What? Why? I was so sure it would be a great first day for you." Harry responded in a paternally concerned way. Although he had no children of his own for the past year and a half that they've known each other he's treated Annie as if she were really his child.

"No offence, Harry, but it was bad. People there don't care about the new girl. My locker wouldn't open so I had to carry all my books and I have so much catch up work to do, it sucks."

"Well, I'm sorry about that, honey, but it'll get better. Just stay optimistic." Debbie added.

"Yeah, I know, it just sucked today and then there was this guy—" Annie said wanting to vent about Liam, but something made her stop. She didn't know what it was, but she wanted to keep that part of her day a secret for now; it was stupid and unimportant and her mom didn't need to know.

"What guy, honey?" Debbie asked with a curious gaze at her daughter.

"Umm, nothing important mom. Just some guy pushed me and my books fell on the floor today. That's it." Annie explained with the lamest excuse she could think of.

"Oh, honey that's horrible." Debbie said and looked to Harry as if telling him that he'd better take care of the situation. Annie didn't want that to happen so instead picked another topic of conversation before Harry started talking.

"So, mom, how was your day?"

Debbie stopped looking at her husband and smiled at Annie. Apparently she had had a good day. "It was great sweetie. I got some shopping done and I got to know the town better. I also enrolled in a yoga class."

"Yoga?" Annie asked surprised. Her mom and yoga? Interesting.

"Yes, it's good physically and mentally. It helps you relax. I just want to try it out." Debbie replied noticing the weird expression her daughter was giving her.

"Okay, fine. I hope it works out." Annie mentioned sarcastically while getting up and walking into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and found there was nothing to drink.

"Mom, why is there nothing in the fridge?"

"Oh, honey we haven't been to the market yet, do you think you could go for us?"

As much as Annie didn't want to go out, she was hungry and with nothing in the fridge it would be a good idea to buy food.

"Fine." Annie answered not too happily as she grabbed her keys.

"Don't be mad honey, maybe you'll meet your future husband at the market just like I did!" Debbie yelled as her daughter walked out the door and Annie laughed at that. There was no chance in that happening.

On the drive over to the market Annie couldn't help but get the image of mesmerizing blue eyes into her head. He had said his name was Liam. He was good looking, Annie had to admit. She had noticed his v-shaped body frame as he had walked away. The one problem in this situation was the fact that she could read right through his bullshit. The guy didn't date. It had been obvious from the moment he opened his mouth and Annie wasn't that type of girl. She was a girlfriend girl and she didn't do one night stands. She would never fall for that type of guy.

Just as Annie rounded the corner of the parking space in the market she found the perfect parking spot. As she was going to park a speeding orange 1969 Pontiac GTO cut her off and stole her spot halfway killing her in the process. Annie beeped at it several times and mentally cursed the driver in her head. _Stupid idiot halfway killed me! _

Annie ended up parking several spaces from where the GTO parked and after she got out of her car she ran to see the driver in the stupid orange car. She wanted to get a glimpse of him or her before going into the store. She stopped dead in her tracks as soon as she saw a familiar pair of blue eyes.

"Liam?" Annie asked surprised. Liam looked directly at her and smirked a devious smile. It made Annie's skin crawl.

"So you remember me?" Liam asked seeming satisfied with the fact that Annie had called him by his name.

"How could I forget the guy who made my first day at Beverly Hills absolutely horrible." Annie replied with a smile. The smirk didn't fall from Liam's face. It somewhat infuriated Annie. He was way too cocky for his own good.

"Well at least I know you're thinking about me." Liam replied and then added, "By the way, you need to work on your parking. You never know when another person is going to swoop in and take your spot. You should be quicker next time."

With that phrase, Liam took his smug smile and walked away, but not before winking at Annie who was at a loss for words. _That jerk!_ He could've killed her and instead of apologizing he stands there acting all badass and commenting on her driving skills. After watching Liam walk into the super market, Annie snapped out of her daze and angrily followed him inside. God, how he infuriated her!

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**A/N: **I hope you enjyed it! I want to thank everyone who reviewed this story. They were all really great so thank you! Enjoy this chapter and hopefully I'll be able to update soon! :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! ENJOY! :) disclaimer: *I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS OR THE SHOW***

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They had just entered aisle four, the dairy area. Only wearing shorts and a tank top, Annie was freezing her butt off. Liam, on the other hand, was wearing a leather jacket over the white t-shirt he had been wearing all day. Along with the jeans and sneakers he had on, it was needless to say he was perfectly fine in the refrigerated dairy aisle.

"Liam, will you stop walking quickly" Annie huffed as she tried to catch up with a speeding Liam. He had been avoiding her since she followed him into the market and she had been chasing after him ever since.

"What?" Liam said while turning around quickly and pretending to just now realize that Annie was behind him, "Oh, you were following me?"

"What? No" Annie said turning a shade of pink. It wasn't really that she wanted to follow him, more of the fact that he wasn't going to get away with cutting her off so easily. "Not exactly, I just need you to apologize."

Liam turned around perplexed, _what the hell was this girl talking about?_ "Apologize?"

"Yes." Annie stated confidently.

Liam looked at her with raised eyebrows. He stayed silent for a moment and then asked, "For what?"

"For cutting me off!" Annie almost yelled. The more he ran away from her and the more innocent Liam acted, the angrier she got.

"When did I do that?" Liam asked innocently. He watched as Annie's expression grew livid. He stifled a laugh as she looked at him annoyed. It was fun to toy with her.

"When you took my parking spot!" she explained slowly and angrily. "You know, when you found out I lack in parking skills?"

"Oh, hmmm, it seems to be coming back to me." Liam said scratching his head looking thoughtful.

Annie shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest. She waited impatiently for Liam to cut the crap and take her seriously. The silence seemed to go on forever, but she noticed that Liam finally looked her way. Instead of apologizing or even admitting to being wrong or to acting stupid, he laughed. His laughter echoed through the empty aisle and even caused Annie to jump a bit. _He was laughing! That bastard was laughing! She was being completely serious and he ended up laughing at her! _

Liam saw Annie's face freeze as he broke down laughing. He just couldn't hold it in anymore. How could she expect him to apologize for something so stupid? This was Beverly Hills and she needed to get used to that. He turned halfway and grabbed the non-fat milk carton his stupid stepfather preferred. He then turned to Annie, but instead of toying with her one last time, he just walked away.

As Liam walked away, Annie's fury grew stronger. She was determined to get an apology from him even if it took all night. She turned halfway, grabbed the soy milk her stepfather preferred and ran after Liam. He was definitely not going to get away with this.

Liam watched as Annie ran through the aisles looking for him. He was situated in a small corner on the opposite side of where they had just been. Surprisingly, Annie had walked in the right direction to look for him when she had left aisle four. As he stood in the corner watching her, Liam realized that this girl wouldn't give up without getting what she wanted. For some odd reason, it turned him on. The girl was determined and he liked that. He then realized that he might not be able to go home unless he apologized. Liam rolled his eyes and discretely made his way toward aisle nine, the bread aisle. He would apologize, but not without ragging on her first.

Annie finally found Liam in aisle nine, the bread aisle. He seemed to be contemplating on what type of bread he would buy, honey wheat or white. He finally decided on the honey wheat and turned to walk away. Annie smirked as she watched Liam freeze when he spotted her. She slowly walked up to him and grabbed a bag of honey wheat bread.

"So how about that apology?" Annie mentioned as she looked at Liam.

He smirked, "You see, the thing is, I don't really owe you one."

"What?" asked Annie in surprise.

"Yeah, I mean, this is Beverly Hills. If you're too slow at parking your car anyone will take the spot from you."

"Okay, but you knew who was in the car, which means that you took the spot away from me just to irk me."

"_Irk_ you?" Liam mocked Annie. He was not only impressed by her determination, but by the brain she held between her ears (as Ivy had said). For the second time that day, Annie had figured him out without a second thought. She saw through his crap and was determined to call him out on it. Once again, Liam was feeling turned on and it _irked_ him that she actually had a strong effect on him.

"Yes,_ irk_, you know. To bother, to annoy?" Annie explained and Liam nodded.

"I know what it means."

"Oh." was the best response Annie mustered.

They stood there in silence, neither willing to add to the conversation. Finally Annie, annoyed with it all, said, "Will you just apologize?"

"Why?"

"Look, if it was any other person, I probably wouldn't care as much, but it's you. I met you today, turned you down, and you got your revenge by halfway killing me. All I want is an apology." Annie explained.

"Fine."

Before she knew what he was doing, Liam grabbed Annie by the waist and pulled her against the bread displays knocking some over in the process. She dropped the bag of bread in her hand and breathed rapidly. Annie's heart was racing. Liam was pressing hard against her and running his hand over her thigh, which he had situated so that it wrapped around his waist. Goose bumps erupted from her skin and a shiver ran up her spine. She had lost her voice and all process of thought ceased. At that moment, Annie had no idea what her name was, where she was, or better yet why she and that gorgeous blue-eyed god whose name escaped her at this moment had gotten into such a compromising position in the first place.

Liam knew this would have an effect on her. What he wasn't prepared for was the effect it had on him. His heartbeat grew faster and faster and his breathing was harsher. He felt the goose bumps on the thigh he was rubbing and a shiver ran up his spine, something that never happened. At that moment it took all of his will power not to rip her clothes off and just take her there and then. He felt his lips inching closer to hers, but before he was able to brush his lips against hers he stopped. Centimeters away from Annie's face, Liam finally registered thought and realized why he had done this in the first place.

He moved his lips toward her right ear and whispered, "I'm sorry I stole your parking space." With that, Liam let Annie go and walked away. He left her staring after him while she caught her breath.

As Liam walked away (his heartbeat returning to normal speed and the craving for her disappearing), he felt himself wanting to look back at Annie and take in her reaction. He knew he couldn't though. He wanted to leave her wanting more and he knew that he definitely had. At least he now knew that she had a physical attraction toward him. All he needed was to get her emotionally attached and he would be twenty dollars richer. He smirked as he paid for his groceries and walked to his car.

She didn't know how long she had been standing there staring at the spot where she had last seen Liam (after he had walked away), but she knew that she needed to get home. Annie grabbed her bag of bread among the other bags that had fallen and went to pay for her groceries. It was already dark outside when she left. She noticed that Liam's car was gone and a hint of disappointment drifted through her, but she immediately ignored it and got into her car. As she drove home Annie couldn't help but picture the image of her and Liam at the grocery store. She laughed at the thought of someone catching them and then she realized that she had let him get to her. She had gotten her apology, but she knew that it was insincere. She also knew that this time, probably just like all the other times, Liam would get away with it.

When she got home, her parents were still watching TV. Annie walked into the living room even more exhausted than when she had come home from school. Debbie looked at her quizzically.

"What took you so long?" Harry asked without taking his eyes off the TV.

Annie stayed silent for a while. She didn't know what to tell her parents. "Umm, nothing, just some trouble with parking spaces. I couldn't find one so it took a while."

Debbie and Harry looked at each other and then back at Annie. They nodded at their daughter's response, but didn't know whether to believe her or not. They chose to do so, after all, why would she lie?

Annie breathed a sigh of relief as she noticed her parents believed her. She got up from her seat before a fusillade of questions were thrown her way and went to her room where she closed the door and collapsed on her bed.

* * *

Erin Silver searched frantically for her two best friends. She had just spent the last half hour with her boyfriend, Teddy, and wanted to desperately vent about her growing feelings toward him. She didn't find them upstairs so she ran frenetically down the stairs. Without paying attention to where she was going, Silver bumped into someone causing them to drop all their books in the process. As much as she wanted to keep looking for her friends, she felt considerably guilty for causing the person to drop their books therefore making Silver momentarily put aside her friend search and bend down to pick up a few books. As the person stood up, Silver noticed it was the new girl. They only had one new girl this year and she had heard from Teddy that this was Liam's new prospect. Poor her.

"I'm sorry about that." Silver apologized to Annie and she smiled politely.

"It's okay." Annie responded looking up at the blue eyed, brunette haired girl finally glad to find that someone actually had a conscience in this place. At least this girl was nice enough to help.

"Yeah, um, sorry to ask, but have you seen two girls, about my height, one is blonde, the other is brunette. Both have long hair and you might recognize one of them from a CD cover or something?" Silver added quickly and Annie shook her head in response.

"Sorry, no, but I could help you look for them if you want?" she offered.

"Um, sure, that would be great." Silver said and the two girls walked together toward the cafeteria. Silver hoping that her best friends would be waiting in line for food.

"Silver!" A tall blonde haired girl yelled from the middle of the long line. Silver immediately grabbed Annie and skipped people pulling her toward her now found friends.

"Hey, where were you guys?" Silver asked. Annie stood there awkwardly watching as the friends talked. She had no idea what to say.

After the friends talked briefly about some guy named Teddy, the second brunette in the group looked at Annie.

"You're the new girl right?" she asked. She didn't sound mean or accusing just curious.

"Um, yeah, I'm Annie." She responded a little nervously,

"I'm Adrianna." The brunette introduced herself and then looked to the blonde to signal that it was her turn to introduce herself.

"Oh, right. I'm Naomi" the blonde said and looked down at Annie. The three friends were all considerably taller than her.

"Oh, I don't actually think I've introduced myself." The third friend said, "I'm Silver."

"Um, nice to meet you three." Annie stated and they stood there as an awkward silence engulfed them all.

"So what school did you transfer from?" Silver asked wanting to make things less awkward.

"I actually moved here from San Francisco. I went to a school called Mission High."

"Mission High?" Naomi questioned judgingly, seeming perturbed by the name of the school.

"Um yeah. It was a good school." Annie answered feeling belittled by Naomi.

Adrianna gave Naomi a warning look. "I'm sorry, it's just the school has a weird name." She apologized and it actually sounded pretty sincere, "I'm working on my harsh responses. I seem to judge people before I get to know them first."

"It's okay." Annie responded, "The school does have a weird name." With that Annie and Naomi laughed. Silver and Adrianna, thankful that their pickiest friend had somewhat approved of Annie, joined in the laughter too. As Annie laughed with Silver, Adrianna, and Naomi she realized that she had just made her first friends at Beverly Hills High.

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**A/N:** Thank you sooo much for the reviews, it means a lot! Please keep them coming! :) Anyway, i actually like this chapter and i enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it! :)


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n: **sorry i took a couple weeks..but here it is! enjoy! :)

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"Okay, so the blue one definitely looks better on you." Naomi Clark told her long time friend, Silver. Adrianna and Annie looked over to the tight fitting, teal blue, off the shoulder blouse that fit their friend so well and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, so I should get it?" Silver asked while staring at herself in the mirror. She thought the shirt looked good on her and it brought out the blue color of her eyes. Plus, she was sure her boyfriend would love the shirt on her…and maybe off her too.

"Yes, get the shirt!" Naomi insisted and Silver nodded while taking off the teal shirt and grabbing her regular one. As she went to pay for the new shirt she slipped on the one she had been wearing all day.

"So where to next?" Adrianna asked as the four girls left the clothing store. Being 2 pm on a Saturday and all, they had plenty of time to shop.

"More shopping?" Annie asked amazed. Naomi Clark herself had called Annie at eight that morning to ask her if she wanted to go shopping. Of course Annie couldn't say no. They had been hanging out for the past four days in school and now that the weekend had finally come, Annie saw it as the perfect opportunity to really get to know them.

"Yes, of course more shopping!" Naomi exclaimed looking at Annie as if she'd just uttered that she hated puppies.

"Okay," Annie said unenthusiastically. Never being the type to be able to shop for a full day, Annie found it tedious going from store to store and always having to try on clothes and then figuring out if they fit well and whether you wanted to buy it or not. It was a long process and she found it exhausting so she always chose to shop for a couple hours then just go home. Now having been out for five hours and a couple minutes, Annie was completely worn out; she just wanted to go home and keep sleeping.

Silver looked at the bags under Annie's eyes and her sagging shoulders and realized her friend was actually tired from shopping. Apparently, she had never done this in San Francisco. Feeling sorry for her friend led her to utter the next words that popped out of her mouth.

"Maybe we should take a break. Let's go get a snack or something."

After a lot of begging from Silver and Annie's part, Adrianna and Naomi reluctantly agreed. They all walked together across the street and down a couple blocks to the Beach Club for lunch.

"Hi, welcome to the Beach Club. I'm Claire, what can I get you?" a youngish looking girl with pin straight, bleach blond hair and olive green eyes asked the group of friends. She smiled a brilliant, visibly white, straight teethed smile.

"I'd like a Chicken Caesar salad with the dressing on the side and some water." Naomi ordered knowing exactly what she wanted.

"Uhh, same" Adrianna ordered more hesitantly than Naomi had.

Silver looked at them with disgust and then said, "I'd like a double cheeseburger with fries and a diet coke please."

The three friends looked at Annie as she contemplated what she wanted to have. Should she go the healthy route or the fattening route? She wanted to eat healthy and she desperately wanted to fit in with the group especially Naomi. She might've just followed Naomi's trend and picked the salad for the day, but she loved burgers. Annie was the kind of girl who ate like a pig. She loved junk food and thankfully she had a fast metabolism so it was halfway impossible for her to gain any weight. As she felt three pairs of eyes bore into her side, Annie finally decided on what she wanted.

"I'll take the same, please." Annie said referring to Silver's order. She wouldn't conform just to fit in with Naomi. She would be herself.

"Alright, that will be $15.73" Claire said punching in numbers on the register.

The four girls looked at each other and all pitched in with the money. They stood in silence as their orders arrived and walked in a single file line, each carrying their own trey, to a rectangular shaped table situated outside the building.

"So, Annie, you find any cute boys at West Bev yet?" Naomi asked wanting to know the full details of the new girl's love life. Not only because she lived off gossip, but because so far she considered Annie a friend.

"Um, no not really." Annie answered taking a sip of her coke.

Adrianna stared at Annie in disbelief, "You're kidding? You've been at our school a full week and you haven't seen _one_ guy that interests you?"

To Annie, being in school for one week was a short period of time. Ade had made it seem like she'd been there an eternity. Truthfully, the week _had_ felt like an eternity to her. With trying to get adjusted to the atmosphere, her new schedule, trying to make friends, and plus having Liam flirting with her every chance he got (which was more than she thought he would have considering they have three classes together) made the week go by slowly.

"Liam." Annie exclaimed suddenly without realization of what she was doing.

"What?" Silver asked with a frown. Hopefully she was talking about another Liam.

"Liam Court?" Naomi questioned ignoring the food she was about to pop into her mouth and putting her full attention on the girl sitting in front of her.

"Um, yeah, that's him." Annie said, feeling a little insecure about telling her new friends about Liam. Maybe they were close to him. If she started talking about how obnoxious he was and then have the three girls tell her that he was one of their closest friends then their friendship could possible be ruined.

"Do you like him or something?" Silver asked cautiously. She couldn't let Annie fall for that asshole.

"God, no," Annie cried out, "definitely not! Liam's just been bugging me all week and it's getting annoying."

Silver smiled widely, "So he's been flirting with you?"

"Ughh, it feels more like harassment or something. He just doesn't get that I'm not into him. He's a major player and I don't like that." Annie answered as the image of her and Liam at the grocery store the other night drifted into her head. That night had been haunting her thoughts since it happened.

"So then just play him." Naomi suggested.

Annie looked at her confused, "What?"

"Play the player." Naomi said more slowly.

"What do you mean?" Annie asked. Naomi rolled her eyes and looked to Silver for help. As Silver caught on she smiled a mischievous grin.

"Play his little game, but turn the tables on him. You pull the puppet strings not the other way around. Have him fall for you and then break his little heart."

"Little heart? I don't think he has one at all." Adrianna chipped in, "And if he does, I doubt his heart holds the capacity to feel anything. He's like immune to feelings."

Annie laughed, "I can't do that though." She replied.

"Ehh, it was just an idea." Silver said not wanting to put pressure on Annie. Silver knew that Annie was a good-hearted person. She'd never be able to pull off hurting someone like that.

"Worth a shot" Naomi added, "I was just wondering if anyone would have the guts to play the player."

"Why don't you do it?" Annie asked curiously noticing that Naomi would be the type of person to go through with such a wicked plan.

"Please," Naomi scoffed, "I don't do feelings. I can't have someone fall for me and I can't have myself falling for anyone. Liam and I are two of a kind, I am probably the only girl he's ever had sex with that hasn't fallen in love with him right on the spot."

"Oh so you two have slept together?" Annie asked a little shocked at the revelation, although she didn't know why.

"Hell yeah, we fucked occasionally. We were just having fun. No strings attached, as they say." Naomi replied nonchalantly as if sleeping with a guy was no big deal to anyone.

"So you're pretty much the female version of Liam." Annie stated.

"Hmm, yeah, I guess you can put it that way." Naomi said looking thoughtful, "but I'm way hotter than he is."

Annie, Adrianna, and Silver broke out into laughter. Naomi attempted a serious look at first but then gave into temptation and laughed with her friends. As the four were laughing Annie thought about what Naomi had suggested. Play the player she had said. It seemed genius to play Liam; to tease him and make him fall so desperately in love with someone that he'd know what it was like to get his heart broken. For a brief second Annie thought about doing just that; going through with Naomi's suggestion to play Liam, but then a hint of guilt crept through her and she knew that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she was capable of pulling it off. It was heartless and insensitive and she figured that Adrianna was right, Liam didn't feel. He was completely impervious to falling in love.

* * *

As the final bell rang, Annie quickly ran into her English classroom. She took a seat on the second row of desks on the left side of the classroom. Unfortunately for her, Liam was sitting right in front of her. He turned around and smirked at Annie and she rolled her eyes.

"Hey, so I was thinking that the next time we meet at the grocery store so unexpectedly we should take things a little further and maybe in a different aisle." Liam told Annie with a wink. He had been toying with her for the past week and had grown so accustomed to seeing her and bugging her that over the weekend he had actually kind of missed her; _kind of_.

Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes at Liam. His smirk stayed perfectly in place.

"That's it; you're just going to roll your eyes at me? No answer?"

She sighed, "No, Liam, you don't deserve an answer. Cant you just leave me alone for one day?"

"I don't think so." Liam told her as their teacher, Mr. Matthews, walked in.

Mr. Matthews looked around at his talkative class and sighed, "Alright class, please settle down." He said and the thirty-something group of kids he was teaching this period surprisingly paid attention to his request. There was just that one student in the front of the class that was still attempting to carry a conversation with his newest student. Of course, Liam Court had quite the reputation in the school and as bright a student as he actually was, Mr. Matthews was sure the conversation between the two wasn't about school.

"Liam, please turn around and stop harassing Annie." Mr. Matthews commanded and Liam unhappily obliged.

"Thank you, Mr. Court." The teacher said, "Now if you guys will all look at the board I have written down 17 names of artists." Up on the board were names such as Mozart, Pushkin, Poe, Shakespeare, Picasso, and Vivaldi. "You guys will be partnered up and obligated to do a project on one of these names. It will be due at the end of the semester and will be worth forty percent of your grade."

The class all groaned in unison at the words Matthews had just uttered. A project; great, that's just what they needed.

"Umm, do we have to present it in front of the class?" Allison Martiari, the teacher's pet, asked Mr. Matthews.

"Yes," he responded, "your project will consist of two parts. Fifty percent will be the written part which is a short essay on your person's life. At least five paragraphs long. The second part will consist of the presentation you give in class. As you can see the people on the board are all famous because of their artistic expression. I want you and your partner to be as expressive with their art as possible. If for instance you get Edgar Allan Poe I want you to present one of his poems in class as a play or something. Your presentation must be at most five minutes long and I want it to be as creative as possible!"

The class all nodded and then a roar of commotion began as they all looked at their friends and began partnering up.

"Uhh, no, no, no, I will be picking your partners, kind of." Mr. Matthews explained and all the commotion slowly died down, "I'll be passing around a small box with all your names on it. Each one of you will be picking your own partner. After you pick your partner I will be walking around with another box holding the seventeen names up on the board. You will also be picking your artist today."

"Mr. Matthews, can I help you pass around the box full of names?" Allison asked and Mr. Matthews agreed to let her help.

"Start going down the rows. I'd like for all of you guys to stay quiet so I can get the names of the people you picked."

After a couple of minutes, Allison finally reached Liam. He smirked up at her. They had hooked up sophomore year at a party. She wasn't that good in bed.

"Pick one." She commanded and he grabbed a small, folded up piece of paper.

"Now read the name out loud." Allison instructed slowly treating Liam like he was mentally ill even though this _was _an honors English class.

Liam opened the paper and read the name to himself. He smirked. This would be perfect.

"Annie Wilson." He casually said aloud and then turned in his seat to peer at his new project partner. Her face was priceless; mouth hanging open just a little bit and eyes as wide as bowling balls. "I guess we're partners." He told her and she snapped out of her daze. Her surprised look turned into one of outrage. Liam burst out laughing. The faces she made were priceless.

"Can we switch partners?" Annie asked as she watched Liam laughing like a hyena. She couldn't do this project with him.

"No." was Matthews reply and she dropped her head on the desk she was sitting in. Oh, the torture she would have to endure.

"Now it's your turn to pick the person you will be doing your project on." Matthews handed a small wooden box over to Annie and she lazily pulled out a small rectangular piece of paper.

"Antonio Vivaldi" Annie read from the paper wondering what a musician had to do with literature.

"Vivaldi? Isn't that some dead musician from hundreds of years ago?" Liam asked the teacher and the whole class laughed, including Annie.

Mr. Matthews rolled his eyes, "Yes, Liam, he is dead, but he is also one of the greatest baroque composers of his time which is why I want you and Ms. Wilson to work together and get to know this 'dead musician' better."

"Wait, but I have a question." Annie raised her hand.

"Yes?"

"What does Vivaldi have to do with literature?"

"Well that," Mr. Matthews answered enthusiastically while quickly pointing at Annie, "is a good question. What _is_ literature? Does anyone know?" The class stared at their teacher with blank expressions on their faces. Whether they knew it or not, none of them wanted to answer the question.

Mr. Matthews sighed, "Literature is the art of written words. It's another form of expression like painting or composing. In this project you will be working with _artists_ not just authors. You will be learning about people from different eras that were talented for different reasons. _That_ is why you are looking up people who made music or painted or actually wrote. It is all a form of art and expression. That's the point."

"Alright, thank you Mr. Matthews." Annie responded. The enthusiasm that Mr. Matthews conveyed had gotten her a little excited to start working on the project. As the rest of the class picked their partners and artists, Annie began to jot down ideas for her project; there was a lot you could do with music. When the final bell rang, Annie had already been able to come up with five creative ideas for the project. She couldn't wait to tell her partner—oh great! She had completely forgotten who had picked her as a partner and now as she walked out of the classroom with her notebook in had all the ideas and enthusiasm of doing that project had deteriorated. It was even worse now that Liam had fallen into step with her and was smirking his 'Liam' smirk. It bothered her to no end.

"What do you want, Liam?" she asked irritated.

"Just wanted to let you know that I'm looking forward to working on this project with you," he said seriously and seductively at the same time. He walked away and once again left Annie staring after him. She promised herself that one day soon she'd have Liam staring after her, not the other way around.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay, so I'm the type of person who likes to upload constantly. I don't like to wait a couple weeks and have you guys wait either, but unfortunately i really haven't had the time to upload this story lately. First of all, i was sick. i felt like crap for a while and my brain wasnt functioning well when i wrote this. Also, since my brain wasnt functioning then the writing was horrendous. I absolutely hated this chapter, but fortunately i was able to kind of fix it a little and make it sound better, kind of. I hope you guys will forgive me for any grammar mistakes and i hope you put up with the chapter. Hopefully you guys leave comments, i love to read them. (P.S. no mean comments please)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: **HEY! i know it's been a while...a really long while and im soooooooo sorry about that! :( I've been so busy lately that i haven't had time to write or even read any stories. but anyway on to the story! ENJOY! :)

* * *

Liam was never the type of guy who 'met the parents'. His relationships lasted long enough that usually neither the girl's parents nor his own knew something had ever occurred. Of course, his mom (nor stepdad) was stupid enough to think Liam was a monk. They knew of his little trysts, they just chose to never confront him about it…in public. His stepdad had of course uttered meaningless fatherly words about practicing safe sex and whatnot and then he had come out with the real threat. If he did something as stupid as impregnating a girl Liam's life would be over. Not only because he would have a child to look after, but also because his stepfather would make sure a punishment so unimaginable would befall him.

Right now, as Liam stood at the door of Annie's house it seemed as though an unimaginable punishment had already befallen him. He knocked twice on the brown mahogany double doors. After standing outside for five minutes and having no one answer the door Liam became impatient. He was never one to wait and so he pounded on the door. After yet again no one answering Liam rang the doorbell and knocked on the door. Finally a woman, about his mom's age, opened the door. Assuming that this was Annie's mom, Liam immediately began evaluating her. She had the same auburn hair as her daughter and he noticed that Annie took on most of her looks from her mom.

"Hi, you must be Liam." Mrs. Wilson said while offering out her hand to him. Her smile seemed too fake to him, which in a way told him that not only did Annie's mom know his name, but she also knew about him. Annie had sold him out and her mom had already gathered up all the information she needed to make assumptions about him and judge him before he even walked through the door.

Liam, feeling uneasy, shook Mrs. Wilson's hand and offered a greeting in return, "Mrs. Wilson, it's nice to meet you."

"Why don't you come in." Debbie ushered Liam in and he stepped into the extravagant foyer awkwardly. He looked around at all the paintings and ornaments and figured that they were a wealthy family; a wealthy, judgmental family.

"Liam, it's nice to see you out of school." Mr. Wilson mentioned with a stern smile while making his way to what seemed to be the kitchen. It was also where Annie's mom was ushering Liam into.

Liam entered the kitchen and watched as his principal made himself a sandwich. It never occurred to him that principals had regular lives. The only thing he knew about Principal Wilson was that he loved to hand out punishments and lecture Liam about life and making the right decisions. Now, as he stared at his principal, he realized there was more to him than he thought. The guy had a life. He had a family, a stepdaughter (a very hot stepdaughter), and he probably had parents too, maybe even an ex-wife. Liam shuddered as he started thinking of his principal as more human than before. Just as he was about to ask for Annie she walked into the kitchen with a sullen expression.

"Liam." She greeted him with a nod of her head and placed her hands across her chest in a defensive way.

Liam smiled. His fears of being alone with her parents had all of a sudden disappeared. His trepidations had been assuaged and were taken over by a sort of happiness that Liam had never felt before. These foreign feelings scared him seeing as he didn't know what they meant and so he did what he did best; he pushed them aside completely ignoring what he had just felt.

"Annie." Liam spoke in the same tone she had and mimicked her posture by placing his arms over his chest. She glared at him and his smile turned into his signature smirk.

"Um, so I guess we'll leave you two alone. To work on you're project" Debbie Wilson interjected noticing the friction in the air. She whispered something in Annie's ear that made her roll her eyes and smile. Debbie and Harry left the two kids alone in the kitchen hoping that they'd be able to work past whatever issues they seemed to share.

"So, you ready to work?" Liam asked Annie as he sat down on one of the kitchen counter stools.

"Are you sure that's all you want to do?" asked Annie.

Liam smirked, "I don't know, did you have anything else in mind?" he asked suggestively. With that comment, Annie turned as red as a tomato noticing that it was her own fault. She had phrased the question wrong.

"No! Um, I just meant that since you—um—well you" Annie took a deep breath and started over. "You usually make stupid remarks or pull something like that night at the grocery store. I was just wondering if you really wanted to study or if u had a whole notebook of idiotic remarks just for tonight?"

"Hmm, well I don't know, why don't you check my notebook for any 'idiotic remarks'?" Liam commented and Annie glared at him. He couldn't help but genuinely smile at her.

"So Vivaldi." Annie changed the subject getting straight to business. She didn't know why, but she felt different around Liam today. Somehow more jumpy and on edge; the way he kept smiling and looking at her made her stomach start to flutter. It was a feeling she wasn't accustomed to so she easily pushed it aside. She blamed it on not eating breakfast that morning and moved to grab some notes from her backpack.

"Yupp, Vivaldi." Liam muttered disappointed that she had changed the subject so suddenly.

"I have some notes I took while I was doing some research." She started explaining as she took out a piece of paper with some scribbling on it. "So Vivaldi was born in Venice in 1678 and became a priest in 1704. He had major health problems that impeded him from learning to play any wind instruments."

"Well you definitely did you're research."

"Yeah and now it's your turn."

"My turn for what?"

"Don't play stupid" Annie said a little playfully, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. It's your turn to put some effort into our project."

"And what exactly do you mean by effort?" Liam asked, for some reason remembering the all too fake smile Annie's mom had given him, "'Cuz I personally think that showing up here on a Saturday to do homework and spend the day in the house of the guy who gives me lectures on my life is effort enough."

Liam's comment caught Annie off guard. They had been doing so well up until now. Anger boiled inside her and she inched her stool away from Liam. "Well I'm sorry that I ruined your precious plans to go surfing with your friends. And I'm sorry that my stepdad is our principal. I didn't pick him, my mom did so don't blame me for your issues with Harry. If you had a problem in the first place then you could've told me and we would've met at your house!"

Liam stared at Annie for a couple seconds and then sighed. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he knew she was right. He shouldn't have taken his anger out on her.

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just I got angry and I…" he sighed again unwilling to admit his wrongdoing, "I took it out on you."

Annie looked more taken aback than he had been moments ago. Her anger subsided, "Liam Court is actually apologizing for his mistake. That's got to be some kind of improvement."

"Do I get some kind of award for that?" Liam asked her jokingly.

Annie smiled, "You want a cookie?" she asked playfully as if talking to a small child.

"Actually, I do" he stated and Annie ended up laughing heartedly at his remark. She then got up from her stool and went to one of the kitchen cabinets. She took out a cookie jar and passed it to Liam. He stared at her in awe.

"You're kidding right?"

"What? You said you wanted one!"

"Yeah, but I didn't expect you to actually get me some." He shook his head in complete admiration for the girl in front of him. He took out a cookie and began nibbling on it; she never ceased to amaze him.

About an hour later, Annie and Liam had actually gotten far in their project. To both Annie and Liam's surprise they hadn't argued once. It had been strictly for business and they had gotten much accomplished because of that.

"So we actually worked today for a change." Annie said as she was escorting Liam to the front door. He had to go fulfill his manly duties and hang out with his friends.

"Yeah, what a miracle." he stated unenthusiastically and Annie just nodded her head.

They had reached the door by now and Liam was turning the knob on the door.

"So, how about we call a truce?" Annie suggested quickly before Liam could walk out the door.

"Truce? For what? We were never at war?"

Annie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but we've never really gotten along either. So I suggest we agree to just get along and become friends. We were able to somewhat do that today."

Liam stared at Annie for a couple minutes before sighing and giving in to her request, "Fine." he said and held out his hand for her to shake.

"Wow, no snarky remark?"

"Not this time." Liam commented in a serious yet playful tone. Annie smiled genuinely and took his hand.

Liam left Annie's place feeling something completely different than any feeling he had ever felt before. He felt high, not off alcohol or drugs, but high off elation. It was a feeling that he hadn't felt since he was a kid, and for some reason Liam feared it. Feeling something was not his forte, especially if it was something good. Ever since he was seven, his innocence had deteriorated. He had learned from then that the world wasn't perfect; it was always disappointing him so he had trained himself to grow cold and distant. If he was never emotionally attached to anything then he would never be disappointed.

Annie watched out the window as Liam drove off in his GTO. She smiled happily as she thought about the afternoon she just had. Today had marked the beginning of something new; a new friendship. She had realized that she and Liam could get along if they tried. She had offered up the truce because of that realization. Annie sighed and walked back into the kitchen as she thought about the events that had just occurred. She and Liam had actually gotten along. It surprised her so much that he hadn't even attempted to seduce her at all today. She felt like something was off, though. Like the universe was off balance. Liam, the guy who in the little time they had known each other drove her completely insane, hadn't driven her up the roof today. She shook her head as she thought about the night at the grocery store; a night that she hadn't been able to get out of her mind since it happened.

"Annie, are you alright?" Mrs. Wilson questioned her daughter as she walked back into the kitchen.

"Yeah, why mom?"

"Because you're smiling like a maniac. It's kind of creepy." Mrs. Wilson smiled. Annie rolled her eyes.

"Mom!" Annie exclaimed touching her lips as if trying to feel her smile. She frowned instead and glared at her mother.

Debbie's face lit up, "Oh! Is it because of that boy? Liam?"

"What?" Annie screeched looking at her mom in alarm.

"Yeah, the boy that was just here. He's very handsome you know, but if you guys start dating then I want to get to know him better."

Annie stared at her mother, repulsed and speechless. She knew that she would never date Liam and she had no idea how the hell her mother thought that they would.

"Mom, Liam is an obnoxious asshole-"

"Annie!" Debbie interrupted, "Watch your language." She reprimanded sternly.

Annie rolled her eyes for the millionth time that day and continued, "Fine, mom, Liam is an obnoxious jerk who thinks he can get any girl whenever he wants. I will not be another one of those girls that he could just add to the list. I refuse to be one, therefore I will never, and I do mean never, date Liam. Not in a million years." Annie added the last part for emphasis.

Debbie stared at her daughter in silence for a couple minutes before nodding her head slowly, "I get it. He's what you guys call a 'player' or 'manwhore' right?"

"Mom!" Annie said astonished, "Watch your language!"

Mrs. Wilson laughed, "Sorry, just trying to get things straight alright."

"Okay, well in that case, yes, mom he's a player, a really big one."

"Well, then I'm glad the two of you are just friends."

"As of today we're friends." Annie corrected. For some reason it was important to her that her mother know just how unfriendly she and Liam were before this day, "In fact, I hated him up until today. He always acted extremely cocky around me and it annoyed the crap out of me, but today he showed me that we can truly get along so I decided to offer him my friendship."

"Alright, good, just as long as he doesn't abuse it." Debbie explained, knowing now full well the type of guy Liam was. She just hoped her daughter was able to keep her strong front as she and Liam became closer, as they were abound to.

"Mom, don't worry." Annie said looking at her mother's troubled expression.

"Annie, just be careful. As you said, Liam is a player and I know full well that players usually tend to get whomever they want. I just don't want Liam to fool you, have you fall for him, and then break your heart."

Annie felt herself turn a crimson color. Her mother had just gone from encouraging Annie to be with Liam to fearing that her daughter will end up falling for him despite her determination no to do so. Annie felt embarrassed at her mother's words. Her own mother didn't even think she'd last around Liam. She thought that Liam would just hurt her in the end. It infuriated Annie a little bit. Her mom had little faith in her and now Annie was determined to prove her wrong. Annie Wilson vowed that she would never be with Liam, it would never happen. They would just be friends, never something more.

* * *

**A/N:** so feel free to leave your comments/concerns. Like I said before, I'm sooooo sorry about not uploading sooner :( I hope that i'll be able to upload the next chapter within the next couple weeks. if not, then once again, i'm sorry. PS- i think i have some grammar mistakes and i apologize for that, but i rarely had time to write the chapter, let alone revise it. sorry..again. hope you enjoyed it though! :) OH! by the way, there should definitely be more Liam/Annie scenes on the new season!


	6. Chapter 6

***A/N:** _Sorry it's been sooo long! I'll explain everything after the story. For now, just ENJOY! _

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That night in the garage of the Court residence, four males and one female stood chatting about a bet that had been made two weeks ago. The female was smiling triumphantly feeling that she had already won the bet considering the male hadn't made any progress.

"Ivy stop smirking like that, you haven't won." Liam said irritated with her.

"Yet." Was all Ivy said. She was ecstatic at the fact that Annie hadn't budged about not going out with Liam. She finally had the hope that she would not only win the bet, but also win Liam's heart. The more she thought about being with him, being his girlfriend, being the one that he trusted the most, the more Ivy craved it, the more she really needed it.

"No, 'cuz you see, I've actually made lots of progress." explained Liam. Ivy's smirk disappeared and a look of anxiousness took over her features which went unnoticed by Liam.

"Explain." Ivy challenged.

Liam raised his eyebrows and smirked (which made Ivy shiver uncontrollably) and then said, "Let's just say that things got pretty heated at the grocery store and as of today, we have officially become friends."

"Heated at the grocery store?" Dixon jumped in completely intrigued with what Liam had just said.

"Dude, have you won the bet and not told us about it yet?" Teddy asked in astonishment.

Liam shook his head denying it all and Ivy, who had been holding her breath the entire time, let out a sigh so deep that all the guys in the room became silent and turned to look at her.

"So, umm, do I owe you twenty bucks or not, man?" Ivy said a little jittery. She avoided all eye contact with any male in the room.

"No, I haven't slept with Annie yet, chill your pants." said Liam, confusing Ivy's jitters with fear of losing the bet rather than a fear of losing him.

"Then what happened?" she asked tentatively.

"I just figured out she could be easily seduced, but she doesn't seem to know that she's completely attracted to me. She's like scared or something." Liam stated slightly repulsed by the idea of someone being 'scared' of him.

"Then show her how not to be scared." Navid said to Liam.

"I know. I just gotta show her that I'm not the type of guy she thinks I am. I gotta show her that I have a soft side."

The laughter that followed after that comment was so hysterical that anyone in the neighborhood would have been able to hear it.

Liam remained serious, "What?"

"You have a soft side?" Teddy, who had been able to compose himself for a couple seconds, questioned Liam and then resumed laughing.

"Well yeah, I guess, I mean I could if I wanted to and—what the hell, I can make myself have a soft side." Liam explained agitated. He knew that he had trained himself well; his soft side was buried deep down in the depths of his soul and he wouldn't allow for anyone to see it.

"Like hell you're gonna have to make one up. Everyone knows Liam Court does not have a soft bone in his body."

Liam sighed knowing full well that his friends were right. To show Annie that he was a different guy and that she could trust him, he'd have to work a little harder to create a different side of him. In a way it angered him, but at the same time he wanted to bring it on. He was ready for the challenge and was ready to win some money.

"You know what?" Liam said coming to a sort of realization, "I'd like to raise the stakes."

His four friends, who had been convulsed with laughter seconds before, quieted down and stared at him in wonderment.

"What do you mean?" Ivy asked.

"I want to raise the price." Liam explained.

"Okay? How much now?"

"One hundred dollars."

"A hundred dollars?"

"Yeah, now if I win you'll owe me 100 bucks."

Ivy gulped. She knew that Liam had to feel completely sure of himself if he was willing to add an extra eighty bucks to the bet. She was beginning to feel unsure of her belief that Annie wouldn't fall for him, but then she remembered that Annie didn't seem like one to budge. At that moment she was swept with a bout of courage and decided to use this in her favor.

Ivy smiled, "Fine, we'll up the stakes, but I've got my own price."

Liam cocked an eyebrow, "Explain."

"If I win, then you have to use the hundred bucks you'd owe me and take me out on a date."

Liam, who had been staring at her carelessly, now stared at Ivy with surprise in his blue eyes. "A date!" was all he could mutter.

"Yepp, with yours truly." Ivy smiled signaling to herself with both hands.

Liam uttered a small laugh, "What? You can't possibly be serious?"

"I am." Said Ivy starting to lose her cool. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea. She was beginning to regret what she had said.

"Umm, listen man, we're gonna go and let you two discuss this future 'date' of yours." Dixon interrupted feeling the tension arising. He, Navid, and Teddy walked out of the garage in silence not wanting to witness whatever was to come.

"Now would be a good time to say you're kidding." Liam stated slightly desperate.

"But I'm not." Ivy stood her ground, "Liam, maybe you haven't been able to make things work with any girl because you haven't found the right one."

Liam scoffed, "And what are you saying? That you're the right girl for me?"

"Maybe." Ivy said. She was trying to act seductively and attempting to really reel Liam in, but he just stared at her in disbelief.

"Listen, Ivy, I'll take on the bet, but just know that I _am_ going to win and that you and I are _not_ going to happen."

"You never know, Liam—"

"Oh, but I do. Trust me, I would never go for a girl like you. We're never gonna happen."

"But Liam—I"

"No, Ivy, could you just get out. Please."

Ivy looked at Liam in surprise with complete hurt in her eyes. She couldn't believe what he had just said. She blinked back tears and was able to make a dignified exit.

Liam sighed feeling slightly guilty. He didn't feel that way for Ivy at all, but he knew that what he had said was harsh and it wasn't like she was a bad friend. He was about to take out his phone and call her, but that's when he heard the yelling.

* * *

Liam immediately left the garage and walked to the front of his house where he found his mom and stepdad shouting at each other.

"Jeffrey, don't walk away from me!" Colleen Sarkossian screamed desperately while chasing after her husband.

"What do you want, Colleen?" asked Jeffrey in an exasperated voice. It was obvious that he didn't want to be there at that moment. He was wearing his work suit and carrying his briefcase in his right hand while dangling his car keys in his left. He was clearly leaving the premises and didn't want to make a big deal of it.

"Where are you going?" his wife asked him in a whispered tone which contrasted greatly to the one in which she had spoken to him earlier. Her eyes began to glisten with tears.

Liam stood as still as a statue as he watched his mom surreptitiously wipe away a tear. Anger boiled inside him as it did every time he was around his mom and stepdad. He still couldn't understand why his mom stayed with a man like Jeffrey.

"I have a meeting." Jeffrey stated coldly. He looked directly into Colleen's eyes, saw the tears, turned his head, and walked toward his car without so much as a 'goodbye'.

Watching Jeffrey walk away from his crying mom made Liam so full anger and hatred. He walked directly in front of his stepdad and shoved him. Jeffrey staggered backward and was able to regain his balance before completely falling.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Liam yelled angrily, "Don't you see she's crying!"

Rage flashed before Jeffrey's eyes. "Don't. Shove. Me!"

"Don't. Make. My. Mother. Cry!" Liam said in the same angry tone that Jeffrey had used, "What did you do to her?"

"I didn't do anything to her, you spoiled brat, she's just very emotional," replied Jeffrey.

Liam was ready to throw a punch. His hand balled into a fist and he was bringing his arm up to swing, but his mother stopped him midway. Colleen signaled Liam to stop with her sparkling blue eyes that matched his. Liam sighed and opened his fist. The last time he had done something to aggravate Jeffrey his stepdad had sent him to some boot camp for the whole summer. His mom had already warned him that the next time he would do something stupid he'd be gone for the whole year, maybe even longer. Liam looked up at his stepfather and took a deep breath; he wouldn't end up at some boot camp for the rest of his high school life. With Liam calming down, Jeffrey took it as an opportunity to leave. He smiled an evil grin and hopped into his car.

"What did he do to you, mom?" Liam spoke through gritted teeth; his anger was coming back to him.

Colleen smiled a sad smile and whispered to her son, "Nothing, Liam, I'm just very emotional."

Liam closed his eyes with sorrow and fury harboring inside him. He felt his mom walk away from him and heard the door close behind her. He opened his eyes and was about to go inside when he felt his phone vibrating in his pants. He checked to see who was calling; the number was unknown.

"Hello?" he said groggily, not really paying attention to what he was doing.

"Hey, Liam, it's Annie."

"Annie? I'm sorry, who?" the name sounded familiar, but the face didn't register.

"I'm working with you on Mr. Matthews' project?"

Then, he remembered her face. "Oh, Annie, right. What do you want?"

"Umm, I was just calling to see when we should meet up next and to tell you that you left your notebook here at my house."

"Umm, just pick whatever day you want to meet up and give me my notebook at school. You didn't really have to call for this; truthfully I don't care."

"Oh," her voice sounded disappointed, but Liam couldn't really tell over his thoughts. All he was thinking about was his mom and how much he hated his stepdad. He really wanted to pummel that guy's face into a wall.

"Yeah," Liam replied. He didn't want to speak with anyone. Why couldn't she just hang up?

"Liam, are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah, just freaking peachy!"

"Are you sure?" Annie asked worried.

"Yes, I'm fine."

"Alright, you know, if you need anyone to talk to, I'm here." She said hesitantly.

"I said I was fine." Liam stated starting to lose his cool.

"You sure you don't want to talk about it?"

"What are you, my freaking shrink?" Liam burst, yelling into the phone, "I said I was fine! Don't you get what that means? God, just leave me alone. I don't need your help, or anyone's for that matter." All that anger that Liam had been holding for Jeffrey finally let loose.

"Okay, I'm sorry! I just wanted to help," Annie yelled through the other end of the phone. She sounded truthful, but Liam couldn't stop. He needed to continue.

"I don't need help! Can't you understand what I'm trying to tell you! Do you understand English or do you need me to translate it for you into something else."

"You know what, Liam!" Annie said angrily, "I'm not gonna take any bullshit from you, alright. This friend thing might not have been a good idea. So wish granted, I'm leaving you alone!" Annie hung up, leaving Liam to think over what he had just done. Now he felt even worse for screwing things up with Annie.

"Oh god, what the hell did I just do?" he looked up at the starry night sky and mentally punched himself for everything that he'd screwed up that night.

* * *

* **A/N: **So first i want to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! :) i know i'm late, but i do have an excuse! Here it is: So i was already finished typing out this chapter and was just checking over it when all of a sudden my computer crashes -_- it deleted the whole thing. i havent had my computer for over four weeks i think. and now that i do have it, i've had to re-upload everything because it all got deleted. anyway, i hope you enjoy this chapter, comment, rate it, love it! lol. 3 :) (i'll try and upload the next chapter sooner rather than later, i've just been really busy..which sucks, but i promise i will try!)


	7. Chapter 7

**ENJOY! :) **

* * *

Apologies. They were one of the hardest obstacles Liam ever went through. Whether it was apologizing to his mom when he was five for breaking her favorite vase or having to apologize to his seventh grade teacher for calling her more than one inappropriate word, Liam never found the guts to utter an apology. To him, apologies—like emotions—were a sign of weakness. He figured, what was the point of saying sorry for something that was already done, or better yet, for something that was _purposely_ done. Breaking the vase, he admitted, might have required an apology, especially since it was his mother. Cursing out a teacher, on the other hand, did not require one. Liam very well meant the words he had uttered the day Mrs. Reyes had issued him an ultimatum in her seventh grade classroom. He had been sent to the principal's office and was forced, not only by his mom, but also by the principal to apologize. That was another reason Liam felt apologies were a waste of time. Why utter them when you aren't being genuine about it? If someone forces you to say sorry about an offence you committed, does the apology really count? It's just a word, not uttered genuinely or profoundly. As a matter of fact, Liam had heard the word 'sorry' too frequently in his lifetime and he knew that the words were never meant as an actual apology, but more of a way to warn him that the disappointment would soon settle in.

These thoughts echoed through his head as Liam dialed Ivy's number. After the events that had occurred the night before, he figured the only way to get out of this situation was to apologize. As difficult as it may be, in order to save his friendships Liam would have to utter the word that was so frequently spoken to him whenever something would go wrong in his life—which, unfortunately, was often enough.

Dialing Ivy's number in the emptiness of his home made him feel nervous. He stared around the kitchen as the phone rang and ran his hand anxiously through his dark, messy hair. His cobalt blue eyes wandered around a house that sometimes felt so foreign to him. He looked closely at the granite on the kitchen counter to the stainless steel, double door refrigerator, and then to the living room situated in front of the kitchen. Everywhere he would turn, Liam would see traces of Jeffrey. The anger that he always felt when a thought about his stepdad would pop into his head formed at the pit of his stomach. It took much will power for him to take a deep breath and ignore the animosity that he felt toward his new dad. He knew that as long as Liam kept living under Jeffrey's roof, he would always be a stranger in the house; the odd one in.

The phone went straight to voice mail and Liam uttered a silent curse for having to go through all this nonsense. He dialed again and paced back and forth from kitchen counter to couch as the phone rang a numerous amount of times. On the last ring, as Liam was about to give up, Ivy finally answered.

"What?" she said menacingly.

Liam cringed as he heard the venom in her voice, "I-I just wanted to apologize." He stuttered getting straight to the point.

"For what, Liam? You didn't do anything wrong?" he practically felt the sarcasm dripping from her voice.

"I'm sorry I was rude to you last night."

Ivy scoffed, "Is that it?"

Liam rolled his eyes and took a deep breath, "I know I was harsh, but you caught me by surprise. How was I supposed to react to the fact that you want to go on a date with me?"

"Well, I don't know, but I expected a nicer reaction. You were just cruel." Ivy mentioned harshly, making Liam feel guilty.

"Okay, but you and I are really good friends. You're like one of the guys. I've never seen you as the type of girl who would date me." Liam attempted to justify his answer, but little did he know that on the other end of the phone conversation Ivy was growing impatient. She didn't want to hear how she was 'one of the guys'. The pang of sadness that enveloped her as he said it made her want to yell at Liam.

"Of course, 'cuz I don't wear expensive perfume or walk around in tiny skirts and shirts that look like they would be the perfect fit for a five year old. Just because I don't use Coach purses or any other of the things I mentioned doesn't mean that I'm not a girl."

Liam sighed as he tried to rationalize with the girl whom he thought of more as a sister than anything else, "Look, Ivy, I know that you're a girl but you're a part of our group. We're all guys and we all see you as a sister. Plus, you know more than anyone what kind of guy I am. I don't do real dates. How could you be willing to do that with me?"

"Because, Liam," Ivy took a deep breath and with a shaky voice continued, "I actually think that if you ever find the right girl she could change your ways."

Liam didn't know what to say. Ivy had mentioned this the night before but he had been too shocked to actually pay attention to the statement. Unlike Ivy, Liam didn't believe that anyone would ever be able to change him. He was who he was and better yet, he chose to be that person. No one, not even his friends, had ever seen the real him and he wasn't planning on showing that to anyone. Ever.

"Ivy, I am who I am. No one can change me."

"Maybe someone can. You never know."

He realized he wasn't going to be able to convince Ivy anytime soon and so he decided he'd let it be until the time came, "Okay, Ivy, I'll go on that date with you if you win, but know that the hundred dollars are refundable and I could use them to get you a diamond necklace or something."

He swore he saw the smile on Ivy's face as she replied, "Okay, you've got yourself a deal. And just know that a) I don't wear diamonds and b) I'm going to win this bet big time."

Liam couldn't help but laugh at how happy she got, "Well okay, whatever you say."

"Uhh, yeahh! oh—hey Liam I gotta go, Dixon's calling me."

"Umm, yeah okay. Bye." He replied and then hung up. One down, the scariest one to go. Now for apology number two.

**/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\**

Liam actually decided to visit Annie rather than call her. This friendship—being fairly new and all—deserved more than an apology via phone call. He parked his car in front of Annie's house and stared at its white façade for a couple minutes before exiting the car and walking slowly toward the double doors. As he was walking he looked overhead at the large oak tree that seemed to be still growing in front of the Wilson's home. He made it to the double doors and hesitated for a second before finally knocking on the mahogany. He was afraid that no one would answer, or better yet, that Mr. Wilson or Mrs. Wilson would answer and Annie would refuse to see him giving her parents more of a reason to hate him. But the one that scared him the most, the fear that made him practically tremble was the one that actually came true.

Annie answered the door and when she saw who it was she closed it halfway, just enough for her to fit through the gap. It was time to face his fears. Liam took a deep breath and smiled an actual smile.

"Wow, no smirk this time?" Annie said feigning surprise, but clearly not feigning the anger that dripped from her tone. Her eyes were glazed over with hostility, her lips were a rigid straight line—no smile, no frown, and her stance was also rigid, as if she were on alert, prepared for anything.

Liam's smile faltered. Taking in her appearance and her remark was making him realize that he needed way more than an 'I'm sorry' to be forgiven.

But he tried it anyway, "I'm _really_ sorry about the phone call last night."

Annie scoffed and rolled her eyes. She still hadn't opened the door; instead she seemed to be closing it more. "You know, in my book, 'sorry' is just another word. Nowadays nobody means what they say, especially if it's that word."

It surprised Liam how she had practically summarized the reasons he hated the word 'sorry' in a couple of sentences. It surprised him even more to know that she felt the same way about that word. But then again, he realized, she never ceased to surprise him.

"Trust me, I know that 'sorry' is a crappy word, but this time I am being genuine. I truly am sorry for what I said to you and how I reacted."

Annie crossed her arms over her chest, "Why the hell should I believe you, Liam? You haven't been genuine since the moment I met you! Then we finally agree to be friends and you pull this move. If you didn't really want to be my friend you could have just said so. We're not in kindergarten; you won't hurt my feelings or anything."

Liam didn't know what to do to convince Annie that he was being genuine. Desperation was starting to seep through as he realized that maybe she really wasn't going to forgive him. Maybe he _would_ have to date Ivy. Maybe he _would_ lose the bet.

"Listen, Liam, I'll work on the project with you and then we'll leave each other alone. We don't have to be anything but project partners." She explained to him and then went to close the door, but Liam was quick and was able to stop the door before it fully closed.

"Would it help if I said my dad is a douche bag?" Liam started. He didn't know why. He didn't know whether it was the bet or the feeling that he got at the thought of not being her friend or maybe the fact that she was intriguing and definitely different than any other girl. But he knew as he stood there trying to maintain the door open that he didn't want to leave without getting back on her good side. He knew the only way to get Annie to forgive him was to tell the truth. He didn't know why, but he felt okay about it. For once in his life, Liam was fine with telling the truth about his family and, maybe, himself.

"What?" Annie asked surprised at his comment. She was attempting to close the door, but he was obviously stronger than her and so she gave up. She sighed and decided to listen to Liam's excuse for having treated her like crap, considering she didn't have any plans for the night and all.

"I'll tell you why I was pissed last night." Liam explained hoping that she'd hear him out.

Annie sighed; "Fine" she said and stepped out of the doorway and into the porch. She closed the door behind her and took a seat on the first step going down. Liam smiled with relief and sat next to her.

"Continue, and by the way if you expect to be fully forgiven you need to give me a full legit explanation." Annie explained and smiled up at Liam who smirked down at her.

He took a deep breath and braced himself for what he was about to say. He had never uttered these words aloud. His family history was a secret only he and his mom ever really knew.

"My dad meant a lot to me when I was a kid. We used to go sailing and he always took me everywhere. We were a real family for a while, but then my dad and my mom split when I was seven. That same year my dad went to prison. I didn't understand why all those bad things had happened to me in a matter of a year, but my mom promised that nothing bad would ever happen to me again, that the divorce was actually a good thing considering my dad was a bad person. She was wrong, though, something worse happened. A few years later my mom met Jeffrey. They dated and then married and now I'm stuck with the stupid bastard as my stepdad. He hates me and you might say that I'm exaggerating or it's just my imagination but it's not. He thinks that because my dad is in prison that's exactly where I'm headed. You know, like father like son type of thing. And because of all the stunts that I've pulled over the years I haven't exactly proved him wrong. He sent me off to boot camp just this past summer because I had 'temper' issues. He threatened me that next time it would be longer than three months. To be honest, I don't even really care that he hates me. What makes me truly hate him is the fact that he treats my mom like crap. He cheats on her and she knows it. I've caught him twice and she just tells me to let it go. She allows for it to happen and doesn't even stand up for herself. It gets me so mad and he just acts like its normal to be cheating on your wife."

"Well can't you reason with her? You're her son, she must listen to you."

"Not when it comes Jeffrey. I don't know what it is about him, but she just can't seem to see the bad in him. I've tried so many times to make her listen to me but she just ignores me. She says it's nothing."

"I know that I don't like to say this phrase, but I'm truly sorry about that." Annie told him and he smiled knowing that she actually meant what she was saying.

"Wait, but what happened last night that got you all worked up?" she asked curiously.

"Oh," Liam started, "I really don't know what happened, but my mom and Jeffrey were arguing about something and he made her cry. The worst part was that he just took off without an explanation or a second glance. I really didn't care that he was gone, but it was obvious that it hurt my mom."

"Right. That is horrible, it really sucks." Annie said and she looked into Liam's eyes. She didn't know if he knew it or not, but she could plainly see the sadness and hurt reflected in his blue orbs. She felt a little guilty now for getting angry with him. She shouldn't have judged too quickly.

"Yeah, well am I forgiven?" Liam asked not wanting to hear another 'sorry'. He knew that she actually meant it, but he still didn't like hearing it.

"Hmm, should I really forgive you?" Annie played and Liam shoved her shoulder.

"I definitely think you should." He replied and she smiled.

"Fine, you are forgiven"

"Yess!" Liam exclaimed and threw his fist up in the air for celebration. Annie kept laughing, but then grew serious as she thought of her own father. Maybe it was time she told someone about her family history.

Liam looked over at Annie and saw her somber expression. "What's wrong?" he asked curiously.

She looked up into his eyes and he saw the pain in them. He felt the need to grab her and shield her from whatever was hurting her, but he kept his arms down and just encouraged her silently to tell him what was going on.

Annie took a deep breath, "Three years ago, my dad was taking me to school. We were running really late and so he was speeding a bit. He passed a few stop signs and then decided to speed through a red light. As we were driving, another car came and hit the driver's side of the car. I ended up in the hospital for a week and well my dad had died on impact. My mom didn't take it well and I knew that she somewhat blamed me. I was angry that I had survived and he hadn't. My household was pretty screwed up after that. My mom became diagnosed with depression and she refused to take her medication. It was up to me to take care of her. After a couple months she began drinking and figured it was the best medication they could ever give and so every day she would just drink. I had to take care of myself for a really long time because I knew that my mom didn't care anymore about anything—not even me. One day we got into this huge argument and I locked myself in my room. She was cooking and drinking and I'm not really sure how it happened but either way, the house caught on fire. I was stuck in my room until the fire rescue came and by that time I was really light headed and pretty sure I was going to die. I spent about another week in the hospital and that was all it took for my mom to realize just how badly she had screwed up. While I was at the hospital, my mom cleaned out all her drawers and threw away all her bottles. By the time I got home, the house seemed brand new. And it actually was considering we had to buy new furniture and stuff, but that's beside the point. My mom seemed brand new too. She actually managed to clean up her act and we became really close. Then she met Harry. They dated and I wanted to hate him for taking my dad's place, but he was extremely sweet with me and I couldn't help but like him. He wanted my approval before he proposed to my mom and I gave it to him. They married and then we moved here… where I met this really annoying guy who wanted to date me before he even knew me. Can you believe that?"

Liam laughed, "Annoying? Don't you mean extremely charming and super good looking?"

"Nahh, I'm pretty sure I meant what I said. He's super annoying." Annie responded with a playful roll of her eyes and a smile.

"I think you're wrong." Liam stated simply.

"Maybe I was." Annie said a little more seriously. "I'm sorry I got so mad, I shouldn't have judged you so quickly either."

"It's okay." Liam smiled, "It's natural. You are forgiven. Oh, and I'm sorry about your dad. And your mom. I know what it's like to have one disappear and one not care."

Once again, Annie could see the hurt in Liam's eyes and she realized that she had just seen a completely different side of him; he wasn't cocky or flirty, he was real and genuine. She figured she liked this side of him better, but he wouldn't be Liam without the cockiness.

Liam was tremendously astounded at what Annie had revealed to him. Their stories, while complete opposites, were still very similar and he knew that not only could he relate to her, but she could relate to him as well.

"I believe that you're sorry about my dad. Truthfully sorry. We were really close and it hurt. If I think about it too much I start to tear up again." Annie smiled sadly and Liam actually wrapped his arms around her. "It's weird how I can actually relate to your story," she mumbled into his chest.

Liam laughed and let go of her. He gave her a strange look but nodded, "It is kind of weird, but I'm glad someone actually does relate to it."

"True." Annie said and smiled happily. She knew that she would have never spilled her guts out, especially to a guy she barely knew, but for some reason Liam was different. She trusted him with her secrets and she knew that he wouldn't tell anyone about it.

"Is that why you don't like it when people say 'sorry'?" Liam asked curious for the reason.

"Why?" she asked, wanting to know if maybe he had the answer for her.

"Well because everyone always mentioned how sorry they were about your dad dying."

Annie nodded, her auburn hair started swaying in the wind that was all of a sudden picking up, "Yeah, the more people apologized for it the more the word seemed so fake. As if there was nothing better to say than 'I'm sorry'."

"I get you." Liam said, "That's why I hate the phrase too."

"Why?" Annie asked curiously.

"Well, when my parents first told me about the divorce they kept apologizing and saying how bad they felt and how sorry they were, but I knew even as a seven year old that they weren't sorry at all. They looked so happy to be getting rid of each other and it sounded so fake when they'd apologize that I just got tired of the phrase."

Annie shivered as the wind started to get stronger. She was wearing a tank top and shorts. Goosebumps were starting to appear all over her body as the temperature grew colder.

Liam saw Annie shiver, "Maybe you should go inside. It's getting cold and you're parents should be wondering why the hell you've been outside for so long."

"My parents aren't home right now." Annie said and then hesitated before she said her next phrase, "Do you want to come in and you know hang out or whatever?"

The invitation took Liam by surprise and although they had both spilled their guts out to each other, the selfish part of him couldn't help but remember the bet. This would have been the perfect opportunity, but he wouldn't ruin it today, though. He had had a good day and didn't even mind that she knew his secrets.

"Alright, I'll go in with you, but as long as you promise that you won't share what I just told you with anyone." He stated just wanting to make sure that she knew that what he had told her was a secret.

Annie nodded and made and X over her heart, "Right back at ya" she replied. Liam nodded and pinky swore with her. They both laughed at the childishness of it all and then stood up to enter the house.

"You wanna play the Wii?" Annie asked looking back at Liam.

"Yeah sure, but as long as you're okay with getting your ass kicked." He commented and Annie scoffed playfully.

"Oh, please. I bet you I'll be the one to be kicking your ass!"

"Cool story, but no."

"Fine, be that way. Some friend you are."

Liam smiled at her phrase, "This is the beginning of a good friendship, isn't it?"

Annie nodded and stared directly up into Liam's eyes, "Yeah, I think it really is." Their eyes locked and lingered there for a moment before Annie looked away.

Liam felt his heart go out of control as they stared at each other. Then Annie looked away and he couldn't help but laugh as they made their way toward the living room. He looked at Annie and figured that winning the bet right now was the least of his priorities. He just really wanted to have fun with his new friend. He never would have imagined that he'd be calling Annie his friend. He couldn't help but laugh again as he thought about the first time he saw her to how they ended up here and now in this moment.

Annie looked at Liam. She never would have imagined that he'd be sitting on her couch just laughing as if everything was good in the world. She thought back to the first time they met and then to their encounter at the grocery store and she smiled. She never would have imagined that he'd be the one person she'd trust with her life story. She never would have imagined that she'd be calling him a friend.


End file.
